By Jordan Long
The Colorado Rockies poor season came to a close with a 6-4 loss on Sunday. The Rockies ended with a record of 75-87, seven games better than last year. They failed to make the playoffs as the Wild Card by 12 games. Where could they improve next season?
The Colorado Rockies were in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in August. They were 52-53 and only 4.5 games back of the last playoff spot. I thought at that time they might surprise me and play themselves into the playoffs. They were pitching well and the offense was coming through. I forgot these were the same old Rockies and they limped to a 23-34 record to finish the year.
I was never worried about their offense. In fact, they were the second best team in all of MLB for batting average, hitting .275. The Boston Red Sox were the only team better at .282. D.J. LeMahieu led all of Major League Baseball hitting .348. Nolan Arenado was tied for the most home runs in the National League with Chris Carter at 41. Arenado added 131 RBI’s, one in all of baseball. Those offensive numbers alone were the reason Colorado was in most games this year.
The story for the Rockies every year is pitching. As we all know, the only way a team can be successful is pitching. Heading into the 2016 campaign, I was optimistic the Rockies pitching would be improved. It was not. Starting pitchers had a combined ERA of 4.79, 26th in MLB. They were giving up runs, which put more pressure on the offense to stay in games.
Even when the Rockies had a lead in games, it wasn’t safe with their bullpen. The total team era was an unimpressive 5.13, last in Major League baseball. The Rockies couldn’t trust the bullpen to get a save. In 65 save chances only 37 of them ended with a Rockies’ win.
Looking ahead to next season, the Rockies must address pitching. Sure they could find another arm for the rotation but bullpen help should be at the top of their list. The offense will be fine, but the bullpen needs to shut teams down at the end of games. It is the only way Colorado will have a shot at the postseason
What do you think of the Colorado Rockies season?
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